Zaedyus Partners to Extend French Guiana Drilling Op

Northern Petroleum reported Wednesday that the partners in the GM-ES-3 exploration well, offshore French Guiana, have decided to extend current drilling operations. The well is the second well of a four-well exploration campaign that began in 202 to follow up the Zaedyus oil discovery at GM-ES-1 in 2011.

The GM-ES-3 well intersected a 165-foot gross section of oil-stained sands in the lower part of the Bradypus fan, which was not a target formation at this location. A 1,065-foot gross interval of sandstones was encountered in the targeted Priodontes fan, but this was logged as having no significant hydrocarbon shows.

Shell, Total, Tullow Oil and Northern Petroleum have decided that the well provides a suitable location to drill deeper in a plan to penetrate the full post-Atlantic rift sequence. The duration of this additional drilling will depend upon results from the formations encountered, Northern said.

Northern noted that any information acquired may prove crucial to a fuller understanding of the exploration potential of the licensed area, which the firm described as "very large".

Northern Managing Director Derek Musgrove commented in a company statement:

"Following the oil discoveries of GM-ES-1 in 2011, the task before us was to explore the licence to ascertain its wider potential. Whilst the sand package in the primary target proved not to have significant hydrocarbons at this location, the oil staining encountered in the Bradypus fan is encouraging of the broader active hydrocarbon systems and potential.

"Northern supports this fuller exploration approach to this well. It is likely to provide Partners with further geological data imperative to gaining further understanding of the complex geology in this area"

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